Lifeguards at Sandy Beach Park on Saturday evening watched in horror as a group of five men — who had been warned away repeatedly — gathered near the Halona Blowhole and narrowly escaped being swept to sea.

"We thought everybody got washed away," Aka Tamashiro, a District 2 lifeguard, said Sunday.

"We noticed one (man) in particular. From our angle, it looked like he got washed directly down into the blowhole, which in our book is pretty much certain death."

"He said he got dragged down the wall just past it, so he literally just missed getting sucked in," Tamashiro said. "And then from there all of them really caught the severity of the situation and went ahead and scurried up the cliffside."

Tamashiro, 33, said the men ignored several "extreme" warnings from lifeguards on the beach’s public announcement system telling them to move to safer ground.

Ocean safety officials said they hope the close call reminds beachgoers of how dangerous the surf can be.

Lifeguards on Sunday rescued and aided more than 220 swimmers and took 600 preventable actions on the South Shore of Oahu, while 75 swimmers were rescued and aided and 250 preventative actions were taken on eastern shores, said Shayne Enright, spokeswoman for the city Department of Emergency Services.

"It’s experienced, inexperienced, seasoned veterans, visitors, everybody," Tamashiro said. "The ocean really isn’t discriminating. She’s really out showing her force."

Tamashiro said this weekend’s south swell, which first started rolling in Wednesday, is the most remarkable he’s seen in more than a decade.

"During the summer times we get a couple big swells here and there, you know, but I can’t really think of anything since the ’90s that we’ve had as big and for such a long period," he said. "I’ve seen it big (before), but the consistency is really what makes this swell stand out."

Instead of heeding lifeguards, Tamashiro said, the men near the blowhole ventured farther out onto the ledge right before one of the larger sets of the day came crashing down around them at 6:15 p.m.

Five or six lifeguards, including Tamashiro, jumped into vehicles and raced up the hill to find all five men alive, though badly scraped, and scurrying up the rock wall, he said.

"I found a bunch of alcohol bottles and stuff," Tamashiro said. "My partners mentioned that they also smelled of alcohol. … I don’t think they have any idea just how lucky they are to be alive and to go home and sleep in their own beds last night."

Tamashiro recalled a 2002 incident in which 18-year-old Daniel Dick of Sylmar, Calif., died after being swept into the blowhole after posing over the opening for his friends.

"From what I’ve heard from the other senior guards that were on scene that day, (the swell) shot him … up in the air and when he came down he got sucked into the blowhole and they weren’t able to retrieve his body until, from what I hear, approximately noon the next day," he said.

The case went to court and was eventually settled, with the city agreeing to post and maintain an additional warning sign closer to the blowhole. Dick’s family received no financial compensation in the settlement, and the city has yet to take its suggestion to install a grate over the hole.

Enright said lifeguards on Saturday also helped a good Samaritan rescue a group of people at China Walls.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service extended its high surf advisory for the south shores of all islands through 6 p.m. today. Surf has been from 6 to 10 feet on the south shores but is expected to decrease today, according to the advisory.

A series of south swells is keeping surf high and has created strong currents, making swimming difficult and dangerous. The weather service said the public should be extra careful and follow the advice of lifeguards.